Tamil Nadu Minister without portfolio Senthil Balaji has undergone a bypass surgery on Wednesday - June 21 at Kauvery Hospital, Chennai. The minister has been hospitalized in the city for the past few days owing to heart-related ailment and the surgery has been done, when he has been under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), that is probing him in a money laundering case. 

Senthil Balaji was initially taken to the Omandurar Government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain while he was under the custody of ED. The ED's drive of arresting Senthil Balaji has sparked a political slugfest between DMK and BJP, with the DMK accusing ED of torturing and harassing Senthil Balaji to an extent that he suffered chest pain. 

In the government hospital, Senthil Balaji underwent angiogram procedure after which he was advised to undergo bypass surgery at the earliest. In the midst of ED's legal efforts to take him under custody, the Tamil Nadu government has transferred his ministerial portfolios of Electricity and Prohibition & Excise to Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and Muthusamy respectively, Senthil Balaji was announced to be the Minister without Portfolio. 

While the Sessions Court in Chennai had earlier awarded ED to take Senthil Balaji under its custody for eight days, the ED has on Tuesday made a submission that Senthil Balaji's health condition is deterring the agency from questioning him. He has been under observation from a team of doctors at Kauvery Hospital and on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian has said that a bypass surgery for Senthil Balaji will be performed on Wednesday. 

As announced, Senthil Balaji underwent bypass surgery during the morning hours of Wednesday - June 21 and the surgery had lasted for five hours. After the surgery, the hospital released its official statement in which it has asserted that Senthil Balaji is doing stable and is being monitored in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). 

In a statement, the hospital said, "Thiru V Senthil Balaji, Honorable Minister of Government of Tamil Nadu underwent Beating Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery by Dr A.R.Raghuram, Senior Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon and his team today morning. Four bypass grafts were placed and coronary revascularization was established. He is currently hemodynamically stable and being monitored in the postoperative cardiothoracic intensive care unit by the multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses."